This application is based upon French Patent Application No. 00 08349, filed Jun. 27, 2000, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety, and the priority of which is hereby claimed under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lace or string closure or tightening device. This type of system is widely used in boots, and in particular in sports boots in which the foot must be held firmly. However, lace or string tightening devices are used in many other fields, and the tightening device according to the invention can be used advantageously in the manufacture of garments, bags, travel bags, or sports bags such as backpacks.
2. Description of Background and Relevant Information
It is known in the field of boots to associate the lace with a blocking or wedging element which enables a quick tightening or loosening of the lace by avoiding the need to tie a knot. Certain lace blocking elements are particularly efficient when the tension on the lace(s) is substantial when the tightening is completed.
Generally speaking, the lace closure or tightening devices include the following elements: at least two series of guides in which each of the guides is connected to at least one of the guides of another series of guides, the linkage between two guides being made by a lace. All of the guides and the lace(s) are distributed over a bi-dimensional surface.
In the particular case of a boot, two series of guides are arranged on opposite sides of an opening or of a zone whose extension is sought to be reduced, and a lace runs through the guides. The tension on the two free ends of the lace brings the two series of guides closer together, thus adjusting the boot to the person""s foot.
When an element for blocking a lace is used, each of the ends of the lace is passed therethrough, and the tightening occurs as follows: while holding the two free ends of the lace, one slides the blocking element on these ends until obtaining the desired tightening.
One of the major problems caused by the use of the blocking elements in the lacing systems or the string closure devices lies in the fact that once tightened, the wedging element naturally takes a position that is perpendicular to the bi-dimensional surface along which the tightening was performed.
In the particular case of a boot provided with a tongue, the wedging element projects from the top portion of the tongue when the boot is tightened. If the lacing involved is an external lacing, the projection of the blocking element, which is a technical and functional piece, modifies the overall design of the boot and is not easily integrated into the contour of the boot. It is also necessary to store the lace strands coming out of the blocking element.
To overcome this problem, it is known to provide a pocket in which the blocking element is inserted after the tightening. This solution requires an additional operation which the user often does not care to carry out.
If the lacing involved is an internal lacing, i.e., it is covered by the outer boot upper, the problem posed by the projection of the wedging element is not aesthetic but functional. Indeed, before the outer upper can be closed, it is necessary to lay the blocking element flat against the tongue, otherwise the user win feel a discomfort caused by the penetration of the blocking element into the tongue when the outer upper presses on the blocking element. Furthermore, the closure of the outer upper cannot be optimum.
Such problems are found in cross country ski boots, alpine ski boots, or snowboard boots.
An object of the invention is to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages, and in particular to provide a lace tightening or closure device that uses a blocking element ensuring an adequate positioning thereof, without it being necessary for the user to perform any operation other than tightening the device.
To this end, the invention relates to a lace device for tightening or closing a portion of a boot upper, garment, or bag, including at least two series each having at least one guide and at least one lace. The sub-assembly constituted by the guides and the lace(s) defines a lacing zone, in the vicinity of which a blocking zone is located, in the area where the lace(s) comes out of the lacing zone. The device further includes a blocking element, a pocket adapted to receive the blocking element, wherein the pocket is located in the blocking zone, and wherein the pocket includes a passage for the lace enabling the penetration of the lace between its exit from the lacing zone and its entry into the blocking element.
The guides are arranged on both sides of the longitudinal opening of the upper of a boot, and the pocket is provided on a tongue.
The pocket includes an outer wall fixed on the tongue.
The outer wall of the pocket includes a lower portion in which are arranged the passage for the lace and an upper portion adapted to receive the blocking element when the device if tightened.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper portion of the pocket is made of an elastic material making it possible to reach the push button of the blocking element when the latter is inserted into the pocket, on the one hand, and to house the free strands of the lace, on the other hand. Thus, the loop formed by the free strands of the lace is completely safe from an accidental hooking.